Puncture-proof guard for pneumatic tires.



G. S. CRAWFORD. PUNOTURB PRoor GUARD Fon PNBUMATIO TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED MAB-17. 1910.

Patented Dec. 13,1910.

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' 'Tooll whom it may cz'mcern:

UNITED STATES `Pairinwr OFFICE.

GEORGE S. CRAWFORD, OF MCKEESPQRT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNR F ONE-HALF TO ROY-R. REED, 0F MCKEESPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

PUNCTURE-PROOF GUARD FOR PNEUMATIC TIRES.

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. CRAWFORD,

' a citizen of the United States, residing at surface by a series of protecting guard plates.

McKees ort, in the county of Allegheny and State o Pennsylvanim have invented cerltain new and useful Improvements in Puncture-Proof Guards for Pneumatic Tires, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pneumatic tires, and has for lts obj-ect the provision of a puncture proof guard adapted to; be placed in the 'tire between the tread portion thereof andthe inner or pneumatic tube,- and consists, essentially of a strip of suitable material faced or protected on one secured thereto by suitable means, said plates f' consisting primarily of alternatingly arranged fiat and struck-up, or inverted dishshaped, guards, so arranged as to avoid frictional contact and yet completely protect every portion of the supporting surface of the strip, and yet fpermit said supporting strip to' adapt itsel ,v at all times, to the varlous fiections of the tires during the revolution of the wheel.

To this end the invention consists in -the novel construction and arrangement, and

combination of the several parts of the device as hereinafter described, illustrated in the drawing 4and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a vcross-sectional view of a pneumatic tire, broken away, showing the application of my improved puncture proofguard thereto. Fig. 2 is a top view of my improved puncture proof guard constructed according to my invention, and ready' for application to the tire. Fig. 3 is a vertlcal cross-sectional view thereof taken on the line w-a showing the con- 4 struction of the guard plates and their relative arrangement and one means of securing thesame to the guard strip, and Fig. 4 are detailed views of the guard plates.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l indicates the outer tube of a pneumatic tire, and 2 the tread portion thereof.

The numeral 3 indicates the inner tube, and 4 my improved puncture proof guard set within the tire between the two tubes, as shown, the guard plates lyin against the inner side of the outer tube a jacent to the l ,tread thereof.

My improved guard 4 consists of la suit- Patented Deo. 13, 1910.

l able strip 5'of pliant material, such for instance, as canvas, vulcanized rubber, rawhide, etc., of suiiicientl length to encircle the inner tube 3 of the tire, and preferably, of a width of about, or a l'ttle less than, the diameter of the inner tu e designed to be protected, and' the guards 6 and 7, of a suitable material arranged thereon as shown, and secured thereto 1n any suitable manner. The guard 6 is preferably T-shape, being composed of a flat square top and a vertical washer 9, while the guard 7 is preferably square or box shape and'is struck up to the shape shown, and 1s provided with a ange 8 which forms a base upon which said guard plates rest when in position. While these guard plates are shown as square, and are by preference square, it is evident that they ma be of other shapes, such for instance, as tr1- angular, pentagonal, hexagonal, etc., and

still fully guard and protect the supporting strip 5 as is evident, and I therefore, do not Wish to be understood as limiting myself to the sha-pe shown in the drawing, nor to constructing such guards from any particular material, as they may be made from metal, fiber, raw-hide, etc., and answer all the purposes for whichy they are designed.

In making up my improved puncture proof guard, the guard plates7 are placed on the strip 5 in parallel rows with their flanges 8 restingon said stri and sufficiently spaced apart to permit the fllxt plates 6 to fit snugly between the struck-up portions thereof, and are secured in positlon by suitable means. Suitable washers 9 are then set between the ends of the flanges' 8 of the guard plates 7, and the guard plates 6 placed thereon, and both said llates and washers are then secured to said stri by rivets, or by any other suitable means. Il'he 4thickness of the washers 9 are such that the top surfaces of the guard plates 6 will be in the same plane with the top surfaces of the guard plates 7, as shown, and that the guard plates 6'. will be held above and away from the-fianges 8 of the guard plates 7, as is apparent.

It will be evident from thls construction of the uncture proof guard, that the top edges of) the uard plates 6 and 7, when the strip is place upon a flat surface, will rest easily against veach other, but when placed within' a tire, there then being both a longitudinal and a lateral curve, there will be a slight distance between the top edges of each guard plate and, therefore, there will be no friction between the plates, and the generation of heat will not occur, and, consequently, no burning or other damage will be done to adjacent rubber or other material forming the outer tube.

Instead of the guard plates 7 being secured to the strip by means of rivets, tangs 10 may be formed on the flanges 8 of the guard plate and secured in the strip as is evident. To prevent the ends of the rivets or tangs injuring the inner tube, I secure a strip l1 of canvas or other suitable material, to the under side of the strip, as is apparent. It is evident that this puncture proof guard i'f desired, may be set into the inner face of the outer tube, by forming in said tube a suitable recess, in which event the space for the inner tube will be greater.

Having thus described' my invention, what I claim is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a puncture-proof guard for-pneumatic tires, comprising a strip of suitable material having arranged thereon alternate rows of inverted, flanged guard-plates and T-shape guard-plates the horizontal portion of the T-shape'plates overlapping the flanged portion of the inverted plates.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a puncture-proof guard for pneumatic tires, comprising a strip of suitable material having arranged thereon alternate rows of inverted, flanged guard-plates and T-shape guardplates, said guard-plates belng fas- .tened to said strips by suitable securing means, the horizontal portion of the T-shape plates overlapping the flanged portion of the inverted plates.

3. In a pneumatic-tire, the combination with the inner and outer tubes, of an interposed pucture-proof guard comprising a strip of suitable material having secured thereon alternate rows of inverte guard-plates and T-sliape guard-plates, the

horizontal portion of the T-shape plates overlapping the flanged portion of the in'- verted plates.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE S. CRAWFORD.

Witnesses: l R. R. REED,

HYLnNn C. KIRK.

flanged l 

